Man convicted of fentanyl distribution

A federal jury convicted a Prince William County man Sept. 21 for distributing fentanyl resulting in death and serious injury, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia reports.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Michael Vaughn, age 28 of Dumfries, distributed cocaine laced with fentanyl at a party at an apartment in the Skyline area in Bailey’s Crossroads in September 2021.

Six people, ages 23-35, took the substance, believing it to be cocaine. All six suffered overdoses and were transported to area hospitals. Emergency personnel saved five of them but one died as a result of a fentanyl overdose.

Evidence revealed during the trial showed Vaughn had intentionally added fentanyl to the cocaine. Additionally, Vaughn possessed approximately 60 additional grams of fentanyl powder at his residence when he was arrested on Oct. 20, 2021.

Related story: Six people overdose at Bailey’s Crossroads apartment

Fairfax County Police reported last year that the victims had been at the Babylon Futbol Café in Alexandria earlier in the evening. They ingested cocaine laced with fentanyl when they returned to an apartment in the 5500 block of Seminary Road. 

The mother of one of the victims found several individuals passed out in her apartment and called 911. When officers arrived at about 3 a.m., they discovered one woman unconscious on the sidewalk.

Police officers and paramedics administered Narcan (Naloxone), a medication that can reverse an overdose, to the victims.

When Vaughn is sentenced on Dec. 21, he faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison.